Friday, September 26, 2008

From 5.45pm. Yes,from 5.45 in the evening,I'd been trying to tune my damned television set,so I could watch the practice session of the first ever night-grand prix,being held in Singapore. Also,this was the first time a practice session was going to be aired. After nearly two hours and over seven frikkin' phone calls to the cable guy,I was blessed with the privilege of watching it. BUT ,I missed it for 45 minutes!!!!!Our cable fellow can allot three sport-channels.He usually gifts me with ESPN,Star Sports and Ten Sports. But on important days like today,he takes them off! And he puts what?Neo sports-cricket.Ten sports-cricket.Star cricket-do I frikkin' need to explain?!Oh does it get worse? YES! Ten Sports was telecasting an OLD match from some ancient time!!!!!Its times like this that make me dislike cricket. I don't really dislike the game,I only find this extremely unfair! And I definitely don't want an argument with cricket fans now.

Yes,this has happened before. No star sports on Formula1 weekends. Friends suggested Tata- Sky and the kind. We get CNN,NDTV,Times Now.VH1 and Mtv.HBO, Star Movies,et all.Even Nat Geo and Discovery.Dad has his TV9. We have no problems with the few Tamil channels that we watch now and then.(Dad loves Vadivelu,you see).So how do I ask my father for Tata-Sky? Should I tell him I want it so I can peacefully watch a sport that he SO does-not-like? The sport that takes away three hours of my 'study-time' on a Sunday?(I nearly choked typing that).I can't get Tata-Sky,thats for sure. :(

So I await the big day-this Sunday. Translating quite literally a very filmy Hindi dialogue, I've placed a rock over my heart and decided that I will miss the start of the Singapore Grand Prix, to attend a meet 'On the Rocks' of a certain park in the city.But when I get back home, if I do not find Star sports, I swear in the name of Lewis Hamilton, I will find the guy responsible for it..I will not sue him.No,I won't shoot him. I'll pepper spray him over and over again,I'll kick him where it hurts most and then slit his throat-with a knife,Joker style. Or if I'm really mad and decide to do something worse, I'll give him such a lecture that he wont ever forget in his sorry life and then he's going to make sure that I receive Star sports,for as long as he's alive-this,I swear to God. No, I don't think my cable guy is going to read this, but for his own well-being,I hope there's someone praying for him and hope he's working on the lecture I gave him today.

If the race keeps me happy enough to think of sentences to type,I will post soon. :)

P.S.The Singapore track by the way,is fabulous!!! The view of the place is so good that I found it hard to keep my eyes on the track sometimes! And did you see how beautiful the cars looked? Oh and did you see Alonso's last lap?! Low on fuel or whatever, that was simply S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G!!!!! Hope to see him and my Ferrari dudes on the podium this weekend!!!

Monday, September 22, 2008

* This is the part of the blog that becomes a not-so-personal diary and is meant for a very small audience.(2-3 people?).If you think you can keep in touch with me irrespective of how silly i can get, ONLY then, go ahead and read. *

So its been just over a year,in the institution at the 8Th mile,Mysore road. Let me start with an honest opinion-however tough things are at RVCE,it really is one of the best colleges in Bangalore. Probably the best.Now,well,its been fun I guess.The classes(when you're in Info science,yes),the fests, the people. The girls in my class are a perfect blend-the geeks,the ones that know how to have fun, the ones that can dress oh-so-well and most importantly-the ones that crack me up with their wit,all the time. A bunch of good friends in class,out of class,especially in the computer science department and the ones I get to chatter with on the bus-they make life easy. Anyway,here's a couple of lessons I learned,this one year.

1. Crying to see or talk to your old friends is not going to help. Especially when colleges plot to make sure you wont have an off on the same day.2. In spite of being in love with Mathematics,if you study for a Math exam two hours before it actually starts,by only glancing through your 'notes', you'll scrape through the exam-that,if you're lucky. 3. When you're pissed at someone/something,do not talk to ANYone. Especially if you're a talkative Gemini.4. When a person talks to you or your friends for only five minutes in their entire life and then sends you a message like this -"I treat u as best frnd bcz u r first friend in engineering.If i talk with u,is it hurts?" , make sure you don't encourage the best-friendship.5. When you desperately want to go to an OTR meet on a Sunday,and you have a dad who is 'very strict', don't fight with him on the previous Saturday.

Moving on,here, lets talk about the one thing in college that makes me happy about my existence. I've gone into more depressions in this last one year,than in my entire life .But Quiz Corp is a place that makes every functioning cell of my brain happy. Sadly, As much as I love quizzing, I suck at it. But to watch the smart ones go right at it and murder the questions or to see excellent questions leave the smart ones awe-struck,is simply amazing! I make my 'small',lazy attempts to improve,but quizzing sure requires dedication and hard work.Maybe someday, I'll at least reach up to a level of quizzing where I can say-'Damn,I missed quali by one point!!!' :)

Talking of Quiz Corp,it has to be the best group on this planet. I've met amazing people,who I certainly wont forget for a very long time. Probably the smartest,wittiest lot in college. There's the super-cool fourth years who seem to know literally everything under the sun!!! The kick-arse third years and of course a big bunch of nice batch mates and juniors. And the super-seniors,as they are called-All hail our Gods of quizzing!:)

I'd like to make a special mention of the two people who got me into Quiz Corp:Arbit Rants : Major geek,but a very nice fellow,very very sportive(I haven't seen anyone else who takes gay/straight jokes so well!). Can really give you good advice,when you need it.Oh and he got me into QC and introduced me to Avial!! :Somebody else : What can I say about this mind-blowing-ly talented lady? She's someone I truly admire, for her wit, her beautiful literary skills and her ability to turn into 'the' agony aunt when need arises. Another kick-arse third year who makes my stay at QC a lot more comfortable,than it would've been otherwise. :)

I would like to conclude with a BIG thumbs up (and thanks!) to the QC for the gazillion things its done for me, and, with a prayer that I will last for three years(only) in RVCE and somehow,make my parents proud.:)

Sunday, September 14, 2008

I'm not very sure,what to write today. I have not made any draft this time(made one for the previous post!).I'm going to type in every 'meaningful' thought that my brain processes in the next fifteen minutes.

Monza 08 happened today. I speak of Monza itself as an event because this place personifies action,speed,drama,energy and most of all, passion. Just to be there at Monza,on a race weekend,must be mind-blowing. The crowd is so extremely passionate about the sport!(yes,like always I'm talking about Formula 1) If there is one place I could kill to be at,it would be Monza,on race day. At every Italian GP that has been held at Monza,when you get an aerial view of the track,all you can see is red! This is the home of the Tifosi,my adopted family. To see thousands of fans,all dressed in dazzling red,carrying flags with the prancing horse on them surround the parc-ferme area,as the podium celebrations go on is a wonderful feeling.Don't get the feel of it? These pictures may help.And they're just two,out of the millions. All this gets better,when you have the German and/or the Italian anthem playing in the background. And today, I got to witness all that I wished for-only,Schumi wasn't on the podium.

But,I did see three Schumachers today.1. The real Schumi,all cute,sitting in the pit lane area with head phones on.2. Someone who I don't like but can't dislike either. Lewis Hamilton killed the wet-track,driving around it sensationally well. He moved up from 15th on the grid to 2nd,getting past cars like they were mere road blocks. Yes,he had the best car but no one can deny that he is exceptionally good at driving in the wet. Just like good ol' Schumi.3.No points for guessing. Sebastian Vettel. Inspite of making it clear to the world that he's not aiming to be the next Schumacher, The German media calls him 'Baby-Schumi'. (Heck,why would anyone not want to be called that?!).

I must clarify, I'm not someone who has blindly jumped onto the Vettel bandwagon after his record-setting-first-victory in Formula1. For me to like you,you only have to be German.When Vettel came around the international racing circuit, I instantly liked him.But it was not until The Race of Champions(December 2007),that I became a fan.Vettel and Schumi,together took the German team to victory,after superbly driven races. And this is what Schumi had to say about him : "Sebastian has shown he has the talent.He entered Formula 1 at the right time and at the right place I think. He has shown things with that car that no one has shown before. There is a bright future ahead of him. He has the potential to win the F1 championship one day." Now do I need any better reason to like the fellow?I must admit,he was extremely lucky to sit at the pole for this race. The Rain Gods seemed to be determined to help him win. But, He did drive a perfect race. He has shown before,what he is capable of and today,with a healthier ToroRosso and of course some luck,he showed that he can win races. And he's only 21 years old(and cute! With a good sense of humour et all ). I can definitely see him win a championship in the future,if he makes the right choices and gets into a good team. Oh,how I'd love to see him in Ferrari! As he stood on the podium today,the German anthem played-followed by the Italian anthem(After all,the team is called SCUDERIAToroRosso FERRARI ). Reminds you of someone else? Whether he likes it or not, after Alonso-Kimi-Lewis, I'd like to call him my next Schumi. I sincerely hope he lives up to the expectations of the million others,who feel just as I do.

Apart from Vettel and Lewis,many others were impressive today. Many drivers did a Lewis,cutting chicanes. But they all obeyed the rule this time,clearly. Alonso was brilliant and so was Massa.Its another thing that none of them improved much upon their qualifying positions. Kimi was disappointing,but he made up for it towards the end. He came in ninth,just one place short of the points scoring position. The drivers championship gets even more interesting, but what worries me is the frail five-point lead that Ferrari have over Mclaren.Let us(Ferrari fans) hope for the best!

Oh and do I have to tell you that I'm excited about the next race? Singapore-the first ever night race. As I cannot find adjectives good enough to describe how amazing that race is going to be,I'm going to conclude right away.If you do not intend to watch this race,atleast a single lap around this track-at night-cars zooming around the streets at 300kmph,you live a SAD life,friend.September 28th,Star Sports. Watch it! :)

P.S. Shocker to those who 'really' know me... I 'really' miss seeing Alonso on the podium!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Sunday, the 7th of September,2008. At one of the most beautiful tracks that my eyes have ever set sight on, the radio on a particular Renault was turned on. A man with a heavy Spanish accent said to his engineers that drops of rain had started to fall on certain parts of the track. A commentator,with an English accent that always hangs on the verge of annoying me,spoke of how exciting the race was going to be. I thought, 'Isn't it already?'.

A couple of laps further into the Belgian Grand Prix, Papa's boy Lewis Hamilton had closed in on Kimi Raikkonen. After a brilliant start, well-planned pit stops and superbly controlled drive of over 35 laps, Kimi seemed vulnerable. Just as Alonso had mentioned over the radio, parts of the track saw rain. With Lewis hunting him down, Kimi had everything to lose. He would have to control his drive so he wouldn't go skating across the track,for a date with the barriers and yet be fast enough to keep Lewis behind.(Now that wouldn't be difficult for Schumi,but as good as Kimi is,he isn't Schumi right? ) Finally Lewis made his move.He came alongside Kimi,but cut a chicane to take the lead.Apparently,he backed off to give the lead back to Kimi. I started to release the breath that I'd held in for the last five seconds,but froze!Both the drivers went from left to right,swinging across the track,just before the powerful Mclarengot ahead of Kimi. And it seemed to me,that Kimi's front wing 'touched' Hamilton's rear wheel.*GASP!*

I stood up,looked away from the TV and turned to see the huge portrait of Lord Krishna that sat in the middle of our living room. I prayed,from the purest part of my heart.My eyes were moving towards the Ganapathy idol,when Steve Slater went bonkers in the commentary box! I turned back,to see Lewis lose control of his car.Kimi and Lewis exchanged the lead a couple of times and then the race turned into what looked like an action scene from a movie.Kimi seemed to have trained very hard to perform a 360 degree spin. I pulled on my hair till a couple of strands came off and curled around my fingers. I yelled, "Mom, You've got to see this!". She came running and after about 3 seconds,she said "Don't worry, Lewis will crash".You see, we think she's good luck for Kimi. I was chewing on the nail that I'd bitten off, when all the excitement and fear died. Kimi lost control,but this time there was no escape. He hit the barriers,hard : with only two laps to go.I fell into my chair,unable to believe what had just happened. On seeing Lewis take the chequered flag, I turned off the television set.

Mom was upset. Me? After replying to a couple of 'proud' Mclaren fans and changing my status on the networking sites that i frequent, I shut myself in my bathroom and tried to accept 'reality'. This race meant SO much to Kimi. His favorite track,he'd won here thrice over the last three years and he had worked so hard to silence the mindless critics who were out talking about how his career would never see another victory. As I sat on my bathroom floor( This because my father would certainly not appreciate me being upset for a 27 year old Finn) thinking of what Kimi was probably going through, I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I was crying. Crying for a man whose numerous engine failures and tyre ruptures,just a couple of years back(2002-2006 in Mclaren), would amuse me. Last I cried in my bathroom was on the day of the Japanese Grand Prix,2006,the penultimate race of the year,when Michael had a good chance of winning his eighth and would be final championship title.He was in the lead with 16 laps to go,when his engine blew. Alonso took the race and the title that year. I cannot explain in words, the agony I went through. I cursed Lady Luck and obviously, the man i hated the most back then,Fernando Alonso. I felt things had never been that unfair,ever! Now,even if I wasn't as upset as I was on that sickening evening, I let my tears run loose and cried my heart out.

I had assumed that after Michael left,I could sit back,relax and simply enjoy the sport. But no. I started to suffer of a headache induced by all the sobbing.After thinking about poor Kimi,I sat to think about myself. While watching the sport, my heart is always in my mouth, I have my own rituals of praying at regular intervals and so on. Once a race is over, I'm either so elated that I could burst a bunch of blood vessels, or , I go into depression. When Schumi was around, topping an exam..winning an event..maybe even winning a lottery wouldn't come close to the joy of seeing him jump on the top step of the podium. Yes, other sports do this to me too. Take for example, the ManU-Chelsea and Germany-Spain matches that took place a couple of months back.And of course, THE Wimbledon final where Roger played Rafa. As nervous as these matches have made me, they haven't brought me to a state of nervous breakdown,that any ordinary Formula1 race can,with utmost ease.I've lost count of the abuses that I've hurled, the strands of hair that I've lost, nails that I have chewed on and swallowed,perhaps, and all the mindless arguments I've had with my friends.

I had thought of this many times before,but today I made my decision.Lady Luck wasn't going to favour those who I supported. I was punishing myself,watching these races. I figured,I was simply too addicted to a sport that would one day result in me being carried out of my home in a stretcher. Yes, I'd decided that I wouldn't watch F1 again. I'd probably read the results in the papers, but no torturing myself again. No more F1. Period......Three hours later, I get an SMS that tells me, Lewis has been penalized and demoted to third, for cutting across the chicane and not handing the lead back to Kimi properly. Massa has been declared the race winner....So hey, who doesn't come across failures,right? Stuff like this happens all the time,don't you think? We should never give up. Not until we taste success! Now I look forward to seeing a place that I absolutely love. In about six days, its MONZA baby!!!

This blog has been created only so I can release the many thoughts that rot in my head. Let me tell you, the worst articles I've read have been written by me. So if any of you, chance upon this blog and care/dare to read it,you might develop the following symptoms:

1)Bad spelling.2)Worse grammar.3)Even worse vocabulary.

If this were to happen to you, i suggest that you visit certain other blogs,the links to which you will find somewhere on this page. Your language/literary skill should be back to its normal self in 2 days(I'm being optimistic here).

Take care, Auf wiedersehen!

P.S. Yes,I like to flaunt the fact that I can speak some German. Also, Thanks to a certain superb-senior who suggested names for this blog that i was tempted to use. My apologies to an eager classmate,for not using them.